


.devil's breath

by resentfulprince (JabberwockPrince)



Series: .software instability [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Original Work
Genre: Choose Your Own Adventure, Multi, Multiple Endings, Original Character(s), Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Reader Insert, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-18 19:19:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15492876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JabberwockPrince/pseuds/resentfulprince
Summary: Androids have finally earned their freedom and their rights, but the process of integration is never easy.And history repeats itself.__________________________You arrived at the DPD one year after the November riot, hoping to help and change Detroit for the better. Little by little, equality could be achieved, that's what you believed in - Until your brand new android partner made you see the world for what it is. Hate crimes against androids and humanity itself continued happening right under your nose, conflicts of all kinds arose on the streets every day. To top that, Red Ice related cases increased wildy and you were thrown into the front lines, forced to lead the investigation. There's never a moment of calmness in the aftermath of a revolution.Where will you stand and on whose side will you be, in a world of endless shades of grey?





	.devil's breath

**Author's Note:**

> aka I wanted a self-indulgent fanfic with me and my friends' androidsonas and OCs. But to make it more interesting, I turned it into a reader insert and a choose your own adventure type of fic ! Because I love those ! And the world needs more of these ! ! This is also inspired by another choose your own advnture DBH fic called "The Accomplice" so go and check that out too, it's great !
> 
> Just another reminder that this is all OC love right here, no secret routes romancing Connor and shit, sorry ! 
> 
> To play, just click and follow the link of your choices at the end of every chapter. Available links are underlined and bolded, this applies to extra information when investigating or character art. If a choice is crossed out, it means it's still in the process of being written so bookmark where you left of to keep track of your game !

                                                                      

One year, that's all it took for androids to perfectly blend in with the rest of Detroit's population. They owned homes, formed families and had jobs - hell, some of them even had a better paycheck than you. Without their characteristic round LED on their temples, telling androids apart from humans was getting harder and harder with each day.

The atmosphere on the streets wasn't as hostile as before, everyone minded their own business. Traces of the revolution that took place in that same city the previous year were completely gone, no debris, no grafittis, no signs of that peaceful march and resistance. It almost felt like waking up after a bad dream.

Of course, you knew better than that.

You knew androids still had a long way ahead before achieving the same exact rights as humans, but you were optimistic. You believed in change and progress, having grown up in the early 2010's, seeing people constantly fight for their right to exist.  
At some point, your life took a sharp turn and you ended up in Detroit, determined to join the DPD for some reason not even you could explain. Were you tired of standing still while humanity committed the same mistakes over and over ? Were you frustrated of leading an empty life, looking for a fulfilling goal ? A victim of fate, an irrational decision, a childhood promise.

None of that mattered anymore, your past was yours to keep and guard. Like some bright mind probably said once, life was about focusing on the path in front of you. And you were really focused on your current destination : the break room.

You gave a polite nod to all the familiar and friendly faces you encountered on your way. Lieutenant Hank Anderson let out an amused snort as you announced you were taking your break from sorting files and cases. He turned to his partner - Connor, an android originally sent by Cyberlife to hunt down deviants - and spoke in a joking tone.

" A coffee sounds good right now. Hey, how about you bring me one, _dipshit_?"

"Right away, Lieutenant." Connor replied in the same manner, not even looking up from the holographic screen from his desk. Hank's boisterous laughter was the last thing you heard before closing the break room's door behind you.

 

Their daily good-natured banter always managed to put a smile on your face, wondering about the roles they played during the revolution. You knew you caught a glimpse of a RK800 model on TV, standing right behind Markus during his last speech, but you never confirmed if that android happened to be your very own coworker, Connor. Asking him directly felt a little too straightforward and asking anyone else about it behind his back felt like gossiping.

Making a beeline for the coffee machine, you could already hear Detective Gavin Reed behind you, chatting loudly with Officer Tina Chen at their usual spot. Everyone and their dog was fully aware of Gavin Reed's abrasive and antagonizing nature, especially towards androids - mostly Connor - which was also one of the reasons you tried your best to avoid him. Or at the very least avoid becoming a target for him to lash out at.

"...This is just what we fuckin' needed," Gavin snarled. Following his line of vision, you could see a small group through the translucent glassy doors of the break room. "more robocops in the precinct."

You tried to take in their appearances, noticing all the visible differences between them. Their heights, hairstyles and even the way they gesticulated while talking, how they moved or stood still. They were so different, despite donning almost identical copies of Connor's uniform.

"I've never seen those models before, though." Tina commented casually, taking a sip of her own coffee and reminding you of your own cup, probably cold in your hands. With nothing better to do for the next 30 minutes, you decided to join them for some small talk.

"Those model numbers also look off, don't they ?" All three of you stayed in silence for a moment, eyes glued to the back of the androids' jackets. RYO-4000, BS0-6962. . . Those were the only ones you could read before the group promptly left your field of vision. To your left, you saw Tina nod in agreement.

"Maybe they're ... New prototypes ? You know, like Caleb." Gavin visibly grimaced at the mention of that name.

Caleb, more commonly known as RK900 and affectionately nicknamed "Nines" by pretty much everyone, was Connor's upgraded successor meant to replace him in his investigation. Despite being programmed and built to be superior at literally everything, Caleb was introduced at the same time androids were deemed worthy of having emotions and having their own free will, meaning that deviant hunters like him were no longer needed.

According to Hank, Connor himself was the one who convinced Caleb to join the police force, regardless of their previous purpose. It must have been a scary experience, the transition from machine to a fully independent living being. Deviancy, while now accepted, was still a relatively new concept to everyone. As unpredictable as human nature.

“Fuck him, I finally got some time away from that creep so don’t ruin it, Tina.” The detective scoffed, downing what was left of his cup and leaning onto the table. His gaze shifted to you. “But enough about those plastic pricks, how’s all the paperwork going, Officer [Y/N] ?”

You brushed off the smugness in his voice with a nonchalant shrug.

  
“It’s going pretty well. I’m glad you have Nines to help you, Detective. Otherwise I would’ve had a hard time organizing your messy reports.” Judging by his priceless expression, he was about to lash out but you continued speaking, cutting him off completely. It couldn’t hurt to let Gavin Reed have a taste of his own medicine. “But I seriously hope the new guys know how to properly file a report. Less work for me.”

“Well, that has to be a skill that comes with being an android detective, right ?” Tina chimed in, tapping gently at her own temple, right where the usual blue LED would be on an android. “I don’t think they’ll give you much trouble, so don’t worry too much !”

“And I could always assist you if needed, Officer [L/N].”

You flinched, almost dropping your cup, and immediately turned around to meet RK900’s - Caleb’s - steely grey eyes. The corners of his mouth twitched for a split second. Cheeky android.

“I apologize if I startled you. It wasn’t … My intention to do so.” He was clearly not sorry, that grin of his gave him away. After all, Caleb was known for his ability to sneak up on everyone, popping out of nowhere and join the conversation as if had always been there, only to leave in that same fashion. Of course, it was funny the first few times, but you felt like the whole precinct was terrified of his antics. He was the definition of a true cryptid.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear - ! ” With a flourish, Gavin extended one arm towards the android before leaning closer to you and Tina, an incredulous look on his face.“You see the shit I have to put up with ?”

His lack of reaction on Caleb’s silent entrance spoke for itself - Either Gavin had nerves of steel or he was already used to his partner’s mischievous behaviour.

“You probably have enough on your plate with him,” You shook your head, pointing your thumb towards the grumpy detective. “I’d feel bad asking you for help.”

“Speaking of help, Nines, what do you know about the rookies ?” It was Tina’s turn to speak again. She glanced quickly at her surroundings to make sure no one else eavesdropped, before whispering. “They’ve been around for a while, but Fowler’s been kinda … Er, you know. Secretive about the whole thing.”

Secretive ? Now that sounded sketchy - Caleb’s LED flickered a bright yellow for a few moments, scanning for any available information. The three of you held your breaths as minutes passed. For an advanced model such as him, it shouldn’t take this long to look up something as simple as a file about Cyberlife’s own androids, right ?

“Well, whaddya got, tin can?”

That seemed to be enough to pull Caleb out of whatever trance he was in. The android looked distressed for a moment, LED still yellow as he focused on regaining his composure.

“I - I apologize, I don’t know what came over me.” Caleb cleared his throat, gaining a skeptical yet worried look from Gavin. “According to various sources, they were assembled in a recent Cyberlife institution, based in New York.”

You were aware of Cyberlife’s attempts to broaden their horizons and boost their productivity, but you expected them to place their new establishment somewhere … Not as close to Detroit as New York. Technology and how to run a business weren’t your forte, but that decision in particular felt like a bad one.

“Designed by Cyberlife, made in New York. Doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?” You joked to lighten up the mood. It seemed to work, judging by Caleb’s more relaxed expression. Tina elbowed you gently, chuckling along.

“That’s something whoever’s in charge of marketing will have to deal with.” Gavin added with a smirk, crossing his arms. ”What else did you find out ?”

“Who do you want to know about first ?”

 

“Oh, uh - I think one of them was a RB6-73. . . something?” Tina’s voice died as she struggled to remember the full model number. Luckily, Caleb filled in the blanks.

“ **[Model RB6-7345, Max](https://sta.sh/0z0agthz096)**. A prototype model meant to act as a negotiator. Excels in speed and is known for it’s - their - quiet nature.” Ah, there it was. The “ _they_ ” or “ _it_ ” dilemma. You often saw people arguing about how to properly address an android, but you never thought androids themselves could also have the same problem.

“Oh, quiet. I wonder if I can convince Fowler to make him my partner instead of you.”

“I highly doubt that. You’d miss me too much, Detective.” The way Caleb winked rendered Gavin speechless and made you laugh softly. It reminded you of his predecessor, Connor. You wondered if he picked the gesture from him. The pair seemed to be glued by the hip whenever they were off duty.

“What about LC-6000? 5000? No wait - It was definitely 6000. I think”

“You are correct, Officer Chen. The model **[LC-6000, Lucas](https://sta.sh/0rv54gcvy35)** , is a field paramedic. Unlike older versions, the LC-6000 has been built with special components that allow them to heal both humans and androids. Although their main focus is securing humans, since carrying around spare parts would be quite inefficient.”

“And what about the uh, SYS-2000 ?”

“ **[SY2-2000, also known as Soy](https://sta.sh/01swtlutkbp5)**.” Caleb corrected, straightening his posture with a slightly proud smile. “As a strategist, their goal is to plan the best outcome of any sensible mission, such as situations with hostages and the like. They can also analyze evidence and find out contradictions in any piece of information at an incredible speed.”

You and Tina let out an amazed “ooooh” in unison.

“Then we have **[BS0-6962, Beese](https://sta.sh/0bcixt0fs61)** , another negotiator. Despite being a completely different model, they’re closely related to the RK800 series.” There was a meaningful pause. Caleb’s expression darkened for a short moment. “Due to undisclosed reasons, the BS0-6962 prototype has been ... completely scrapped off and discontinued. And lastly, there’s the **[RYO-4000 model](https://sta.sh/01c7cpvshapu)**.”

“I wonder who’s in charge of naming these chumps.” Gavin thought out loud. “I mean, Connor and Caleb, Lucas and Max. Those are fine. But Soy and Beese ? Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that this last guy is named Ryo.”

Caleb exchanged a nervous glance with everyone present. Never a good sign. “...The RYO-4000 model ... is named Ryo. Yes.”

You had to restrain yourself from snickering at the way Gavin turned around to pace around the break room, half-shouting empty threats and curses towards no one in particular. “That’s such a stupid dumbass name !” could be heard, along with “Why couldn’t they just name him Richard or whatever ?! Don’t even get me started on Beese and Soy !”. Tina, on the other hand, was losing it. She leaned on you for support, a hand on her stomach as she kept laughing.

“Come on, Reed ! I think Ryo suits them just fine ! It’s easier to remember for sure.” Once the laughter finally stopped, she excused herself to prevent Gavin from drinking his 9th cup of coffee. At this point, you were the only one listening to Caleb.

“And what does this Ryo do?”

“The RYO-4000 model was another prototype, meant to be a deviant hunter exclusively. I couldn’t find anything else about these series, though. Old reports about them indicate that they’re quite expressive and emotional, prone to deviating. Which leads me to believe they’ve also been deemed obsolete before ...”

“The Android Liberation Day.” You kindly finished for him.

“Yes, thank you.” Silence fell over the two. Tina and Gavin’s conversation was nothing but background noise as you took in the way Caleb’s previous proud smile contorted into a slight frown.

 

The _Android Liberation Day_ , celebrated a few months after the _November Riots_ , became an official holiday when President Christina Warren officially approved and confirmed that androids indeed had rights. Though exclusively in the United States.

But leaving politics aside, the thought of being seen as obsolete and scraped off sounded scary. From an android’s perspective, that had to be the most frightening experience, or at least one of them. At least that’s what you wanted to say, but not in front of Caleb, who still struggled with the concept of deviancy and his own humanity. An existential crisis was the last thing he needed right now.

“You know ? Now i’m even more curious about these rookies.” You said instead. “I wish Fowler would just tell us what’s up with them. You don’t transfer a group from NY to Detroit like that for no reason.”

“You could ask them yourself.” You stared blankly at him. “I heard talking about pets helped when starting a conversation. Or music.”

“And let me guess, you heard this from Connor, right ?” He nodded with an honest look, you found it endearing. “ _Unbelievable_.”

You were about to ask him more about himself, since these moments were extremely rare, but before the words left your mouth, Gavin was already dragging the android towards the door by the arm, mumbling something about “another dumb emergency they had to take care of”. You waved them goodbye as Tina walked up to you, gently patting your back.

“We’re all going to Jimmy’s Bar for some drinks tonight, wanna join us ?” You immediately grimaced. “Huh, not much of a drinker ? Drinks are on Gavin tonight !”

“No, that’s not it. I just …I still have tons of work left and I have no idea when i’ll finish -” At that moment, the door opened, revealing another of your coworkers, Chris Miller. He greeted you two politely with his usual friendly attitude while he approached you. “Hey, Chris. Taking a break ?”

“Hah, I wish ! I was actually looking for you, [Y/N]. Fowler wants to see you in his office right now.” Upon noticing your panicked expression, he let out a chuckle. “Don’t worry, I don’t think it’s serious. Who knows, maybe he’ll give you some actual field work ! You do look like you need some fresh air.”

You weren’t too excited about that. You’ve seen the state Connor and Caleb arrived in sometimes. Hell, some days they didn’t even return in one piece, you lost count of the times Connor had to be replaced in the short time you had been working at the DPD. Okay, maybe two or three times, but still.  
As a human, you couldn’t be fixed or healed so easily like them.

“I appreciate your concern but I already get enough fresh air in my free time, thank you very much !”

“It’s not like you’re missing out anything interesting. The only ones who get to go on important missions are the Lieutenant and Connor. Or Gavin and Nines ! But us ? Most of our work now consists on patrolling around, arresting teenagers for petty theft, vandalism or public drinking.” This was the first time you saw Tina speak so much. And with such emotion in her voice too, it took you by surprise. "Either that or defective androids that went haywire ! Can you believe this ?"

You often assumed Tina had the patience of a saint as she was Gavin’s previous partner - and even after Caleb took her place, she was still paired with the aggressive detective on more than one occasion - never complaining or raising her voice at him. Or anyone ! On the other hand, Chris seemed rather relaxed and used to these outbursts. While Tina began complaining about not being paid enough, he ushered you out of the room, whispering a “good luck” before closing the door behind you.

 

* * *

 

"Excuse me, Captain -" Your voice wavered, feeling your knees trembling under you. "You want me to _what_ ?"

The man in front of you tapped on his desk with his fingers. He was clearly doing his best avoid lashing out at you, which you appreciated, really. But you were 100% sure you weren’t ready for this job. Maybe Tina was right, a raise would be good right now.

“Pick a partner and help the rest to solve whatever bullshit is going around on Detroit right now.” Fowler stood up, dropping a folder of considerable size on top of the table. You recognized it, of course. After all, you organized it yourself. “Androids left and right, deviant or not, are going batshit insane - And Cyberlife isn’t doing a very good job at cooperating, so we need more people out there.”

No other words were exchanged, you had no room to negotiate here. You simply had to nod and accept whatever job Captain Fowler gave you as your superior. So much for wishing for a calm and tame job.

  
“I want an answer next Monday first thing in the morning, [L/N]. Understood ?” You could merely whisper a 'yes, sir' before he barked again. “Alright, now get out of my sight.”

One week. You had exactly one week to choose a decent and possibly permanent partner in the DPD - Of course, you would've chosen either Connor or Caleb in a heartbeat but, sadly, they were already taken. Chris could also make for a decent companion. But no, life couldn't stop pestering you - The new five mysterious androids were your only choices here. It was a laughable situation : you, a simple officer, would have to follow around an android detective, another rookie like you nonetheless, around ! This was bound to end terribly. 

You forced yourself to be optimistic, to look at the bright side like you were taught to do. 

For starters, your paperwork would be reduced greatly. No more late night shifts trying to finish everything in time, just so that future you had a little bit less work to do. Secondly, you could get some of that fresh air. That sweet polluted air. And lastly, you could get to know the new members. They barely talked to anyone outside their group, except for Fowler or certain a woman you still didn't had the pleasure to meet. 

 

So many choices, so little time to bond.

 

_Who were you going to approach first ?_

 

[ △ ] ~~Max, the RB6-7345 model.~~

[ ◻ ] ~~Lucas, the LC-6000 model.~~

[ O ] ~~Beese, the BS0-6962 model.~~

[ X ] ~~Soy, the SY2-2000 model.~~

[ ⬡ ] ~~Ryo, the RYO-4000 model.~~

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> divider on this chapter by @ ImaginaryMage on dA !
> 
> RB6-7345 belongs to spikethebunny101  
> BS0-6962 belongs to silvertyger872  
> LC-6000 belongs to samsketches14  
> SY2-2000 belongs to SaikoSailent  
> RYO4000 belongs to me, JabberwockPrince !  
> ( All the art also belongs to me )


End file.
